Practical Paleography

Practical Paleography is an informal series of ten paleography sessions meeting every two weeks (or thereabouts; see schedules below). These sessions are sponsored by Early Modern Manuscripts Online (EMMO) for staff and researchers at the Folger Shakespeare Library. Each session will focus on transcription and mark-up (i.e. XML encoding) of a few 16th and/or 17th century manuscript pages from the Folger collection.

No experience or registration is required, and you can attend as many or as few sessions as you like. Short handouts will be provided, and transcriptions of the manuscripts we examine will appear here on this Folgerpedia page following the meet-up. You may want to bring a laptop to try your own transcriptions or take notes.

Here's a link to some introductory pages on the early modern alphabet and common abbreviations: Alphabet Book.

Some transcriptions from Practical Paleography will appear on the site EMMO.

See below for manuscript details about individual sessions and transcriptions.

Practical Paleography Series Five

Practical Paleography Series Four

Oct 25 2016

The first of ten sessions in the fourth series of Practical Paleography. Curator of Manuscripts Dr Heather Wolfe & EMMO Paleographer Sarah Powell will be on hand to lead the group in transcribing a bargain and sale (L.b.356) from the Loseley Collection, specifically one involving the sale of seven upper rooms to James Burbage. These rooms would become the famous Blackfriars Theatre. The session will start with Dr Heather Wolfe introducing the early modern alphabet.

Nov 8 2016

Dr Heather Wolfe will give a brief review of the early modern alphabet and common abbreviations. In the first half of the session the group will transcribe more from L.b.356 (see October 25th session). In the second half of the hour Dr Hillary Nunn will give a short introduction to Lady Grace Castleton's booke of receipts from which the PracPaleo group will transcribe a seventeenth-century recipe for chocolate cream! EMMO Paleographer Sarah Powell will transcribe & tag this transcription on site using Dromio, the Folger's online transcription tool. This special session will serve as a preparation for the Early Modern Recipes Online Collective (EMROC) "transcribathon" at the Folger on Wednesday, November 9th.

Nov 22 2016

In the third session of Practical Paleography we will transcribe L.a.190, from the Papers of the Bagot Family collection. The group will practice writing their own early modern alphabets by copying letters from the manuscript. Dr Heather Wolfe will also explain early modern letter folding. All are welcome.

Dec 6 2016

This special session of Practical Paleography will be a "Paleography Pub Night" from 5.00 - 7.00pm in the Foulke Conference Room, in tandem with the Folger Institute's Introduction to English Paleography lead by Dr Heather Wolfe. We will look at wine & ale recipes over pizza & beer! EMMO Paleographer Sarah Powell will be on hand to transcribe these transcriptions in Dromio, the Folger's online transcription tool.

Dec 20 2016

In the fifth session of Practical Paleography Dr Meaghan Brown, Dr Lizzie Williamson, Dr Owen Williams and Dr Heather Wolfe will lead the group in transcribing a page of J.b.3, the Women's Prize. We will use Dromio, the Folger's online transcription tool.

Jan 17 2017

In the sixth session of Practical Paleography Curator of Manuscripts Dr Heather Wolfe & EMMO Paleographer Sarah Powell will be on hand to lead the group in transcribing a letter from V.b.333, Papers of the Goodricke family of Ribston Hall, Nidderdale, Yorkshire.

Jan 31 2017

In the seventh session of Practical Paleography EMMO Paleographer Sarah Powell will lead the group in a transcription of a warrant from V.b.333, Papers of the Goodricke family of Ribston Hall, Nidderdale, Yorkshire. We will also further explore Dromio, the Folger's online transcription tool.

Feb 14 2017

In the eighth session of Practical Paleography EMMO Paleographer Sarah Powell and Curator of Manuscripts Dr Heather Wolfe will lead the group in a transcription of L.a.97, a letter from Walter Bagot to Richard Bagot describing a ' very strange wedding'. We will also go over the homework from last time; a letter from V.b.333 (34), the Papers of the Goodricke Family, Nidderdale Yorkshire. We will use Dromio, the Folger's online transcription tool, to collate these transcriptions.

Feb 28 2017

In the ninth session of Practical Paleography Curator of Manuscripts Dr Heather Wolfe will lead the group in a transcription of L.a.857, a letter from Sir Thomas Skrymsher to Walter Bagot. In it he protests a privy seal for 10 that was left for him at Aqualate, since he now lies at Shrewsbury and has a privy seal for Salop (Shropshire), which he will pay. We will use Dromio, the Folger's online transcription tool, to collate these transcriptions.

March 14 2017

Session postponed due to snow.

March 21 2017

In the tenth session of Practical Paleography Curator of Manuscripts Dr Heather Wolfe will look at the use of numbers in early modern manuscripts. The session will also go over the homework from last time; L.a.990.

April 4 2017

In this extra session of Practical Paleography Curator of Manuscripts Dr Heather Wolfe & EMMO Paleographer Sarah Powell will help the group pick a manuscript to continue working on remotely. These transcriptions will be added to the EMMO corpus in due course (available on emmo.folger.edu).

Practical Paleography Series Three

Oct 20 2015

The first of ten sessions in the third series of Practical Paleography. A brief explanation of secretary hand and Dromio, the Folger's online transcription-collation tool. Then a look at V.a.307, a poetical and prose miscellany. People will be encouraged to participate remotely and the manuscript will stay open and accessible to the Folger's paleography community for remote transcription after the end of Tuesday's session.

Nov 3 2015

A further look at V.a.307, a poetical and prose miscellany. We will transcribe 29v and 31 in the session. People will be encouraged to participate remotely to transcribe the subsequent pages. The manuscript will stay open and accessible to the Folger's paleography community for remote transcription after the end of Tuesday's session.

Nov 17 2015

Continuing with our target to transcribe V.a.307, a poetical and prose miscellany. We will transcribe 30 and 29 in the session. People will be encouraged to participate remotely to transcribe the subsequent pages. The manuscript will stay open and accessible to the Folger's paleography community for remote transcription after the end of Tuesday's session.

Dec 1 2015

A further look at V.a.307, a poetical and prose miscellany. We will transcribe 86 in the session. People will be encouraged to participate remotely to transcribe the subsequent pages. The manuscript will stay open and accessible to the Folger's paleography community for remote transcription after the end of Tuesday's session.

Dec 15 2015

A special Practical Paleography evening session today: 'Transcription Night 2' will take place at the Big Board, H street, DC. From 5.30pm - 7.30pm we will be transcribing selections from different manuscripts with pitchers of beer as prizes! Come join us!

Jan 12 2016

We will use Dromio, the Folger's online transcription-collation too to transcribe part of X.d.428 in the session. People are encouraged to participate remotely, if they wish.

Feb 23 2016

We will transcribe and tag some mid-seventeenth-century letters in this session as part of a special request by Dr. Patrick Tuite of the Department of Drama at Catholic University of America. Dr. Tuite supplied the images and will be joining us for the session. He is working on letters by Arthur Bennet (Earl of Arlington) and Captain Bartlett (who ran the packets sent between Dublin and Holyhead) for an upcoming paper.

Mar 8 2016

We will transcribe and tag a mid-seventeenth-century letter in this session as part of a special request by Dr. Patrick Tuite of the Department of Drama at Catholic University of America. Dr. Tuite supplied the image and will be joining us for the session. He is working on letters by Arthur Bennet (Earl of Arlington) and Captain Bartlett (who ran the packets sent between Dublin and Holyhead) for an upcoming paper.
In addition we will transcribe one page in V.a.307, a poetical and prose miscellany, and a section of an early modern newsletter. Newcomers are welcome and no registration is required.

Practical Paleography Series Two

May 5 2015

The first of ten sessions in the second series of Practical Paleography running through summer 2015. A brief explanation of secretary hand, minuscule and majuscule letter forms and some common abbreviations (eg. which, with, you, your, the, that). Then a look at two interesting family letters, one from the Papers of the Bagot family and the other from the Bacon-Townshend collection.

May 19 2015

A recap of how to use dromio, the Folger's online transcription-collation tool, including a brief overview of its tag set. Then an opportunity to transcribe L.a.63, a letter from Walter Bagot's eldest son Lewis to his father. Lewis is writing from commons [at one of the Inns of Court]. He mentions The Kynnersley-Trew case, being followed hard by Sir Walter Chetwynd and Mr. Wolseley (Wouslye).

June 2 2015

An examination of numbers, both Arabic and Roman. Also covered will be days, dates and Regnal years (including how to modernize dates), with worksheets providing examples.

June 16 2015

A look at a probate copy of the will of Edward Grant dated April 25th, St Mark's day, 1601. After declaring himself sound in mind and perfect in memory Grant goes on to bequeath a house lease, goods and money to his wife and children. He leaves money to the poor of Toppsfield and Barnet and a copy of Ortelius' book of maps to Westminster's College Library. Not forgetting his friends, he leaves a little silver cup to his affectionate friend Mr Samuel Haslewood.

June 30 2015

Latin Part I: A look at some Latin snippets found in the Folger's manuscript collection. EMMO Paleographer Sarah Powell will lead the group in transcribing and translating Latin found in early modern manuscripts, copied from Virgil's Aeneid & Eclogues and Ovid's Metamorphoses, Tristia & Heroides.

July 14 2015

Latin Part II: A further look at Latin taken from the Folger's manuscript collection. EMMO Paleographer Sarah Powell will lead the group in transcribing and translating Latin, including Latin snippets from the Macro Plays: Castle of Perseverance [ca.1440], Henry Oxinden's miscellany [ca.1642-1670], Letter from John Parker at Dublin Castle to Thadeus O'Carroll [1548], Letter from Harvey Bagot at Oxford to his father Walter Bagot [1609], The Smith family miscellany [ca.1620-1655] and annotations by Gabriel Harvey in Facetie, motti, et burle di diversi signori et persone privat [1580-1608]. There will also be an opportunity to use dromio, the Folger's online transcription tool, to transcribe and tag a Latin excerpt from V.b.26, Book of magic, [ca.1577-1583].

July 28 2015

An opportunity to transcribe an interesting page written in English secretary hand from the Diaries of Richard Stonley, 1581-1598, including Latin citations from Book 3 of Cato's distichs on the need to balance work with pleasure. There will be a further opportunity to compare these transcriptions at the end of the session, using dromio, the Folger's online transcription-collation tool.

August 26 2015

An opportunity to transcribe two pages from the Commonplace book of Matthew Day ca.1650 using Dromio, the Folger's online transcription-collation tool. Transcriptions will also vetted in the latter part of the session.

September 8 2015

A look at a page on Italy and the Medicis of Florence, taken from Edmund Tilney's Topographical Descriptions, Regiments and Policies. Transcriptions will be collated at the end of the session to produce a final version, using dromio, the Folger's online transcription-collation tool.

Jan. 13 2015

Introduction to Dromio, the Folger's online transcription/collation tool, and semi-diplomatic conventions and then a chance to practice both transcribing and encoding secretary hand with some poetry from a volume of poetical miscellany :

Mar. 10

A quick review of numbers and then a more specific look at how numbers are used in references to money in early modern manuscripts. Several examples of amounts will be shown in snippets from the Bacon-Townshend collection, then a transcription of a bill/receipt to Lady Stanhope.

Mar. 24 2015

A brief review of features in Dromio and then a chance to transcribe some chivalric romance, specifically a few pages about the adventures of St. Denis and his horse from V.a.139 – Gawdy Brampton's rhyming version of Richard Johnson's very popular literary work.